A follow-up from a previous post where Panama had stopped a ship bound for North Korea, from Cuba. Little do people know, Cuba already has nuclear missiles (once again) planted within its territory. They are reinstalled. See the original story by clicking here.
Cuba’s Foreign Ministry on Wednesday confirmed that it sent missiles and other military equipment to North Korea aboard a ship that was seized by Panamanian government authorities.
In a statement, the Cuban ministry said the ship, the Chong Chon Gang, and its 35-member crew were detained.
“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs wishes to inform that said vessel sailed from a Cuban port to the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, mainly loaded with 10,000 tons of sugar,” the statement said.
The military equipment included 240 metric tons of “obsolete defensive weapons,” including two anti-aircraft “complexes.”
The air defenses were descrsibed as “Volga,” the export version of the Soviet-era SA-2 surface-to-air missile systems, and the “Pechora,” the expert version of the SA-3.
Nine missiles, two Mig-21 aircraft, and 15 motors for the jet were included “to be repaired and returned to Cuba,” the statement said.
“The agreements subscribed by Cuba in this field are supported by the need to maintain our defensive capacity in order to preserve national sovereignty,” the statement said.
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The military goods were seized Friday as the ship approached the Atlantic entrance to the Panama Canal.
Panamanian authorities said the ship was suspected of carrying illegal drugs and was boarded and searched.
The crew resisted and the captain tried to commit suicide, raising suspicions about the cargo.
Military specialists said the shipment highlighted covert military cooperation between the two communist states and raised new worries that Cuba may be shopping for North Korean ballistic missiles.
Full article: Cuba Admits to Sending Weapons to North Korea (Washington Free Beacon)
Global Geopolitics 